Underground electric railway.



GEORGE INVSMITH, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

UNDERGROUND ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,021, dated March 6, 1900. `Application led August Z3, 1899. Serial No. 728,201. (No model.)

- the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

One object of my invention is to provide an underground conduit in which is arranged the conductor or feed-wire from which the motors on the cars receive their power, together with means whereby the current of electricity is transferred from the wire or conductor to the motors. Y

Af further object of my invention is to provide a trolley for underground electric railways with insulated brushes which will clear the tracks on which said trolley rides of all obstructions and which brushes will also effectually insulate all parts of the trolley, except the wheels, from the trolley-track.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, which will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure I is a transverse sectional View showing a railway-track, the conduit, the conductor and trolley therein, and the means employed for elevating the conductor and trolley. Fig. II is a longitudinal sectional View taken approximately on the line II Il of Fig. I. Fig. III is a vertical sectional view taken on the indicated line Ill, III, Fig. II. Figs. IV-and V are views in perspective of the individual members that comprise the brushes of the trolley.

Referring to the numerals on the accompanying drawings, 1 indicates the conduit, which is arranged between the track-rails 2, from the top of which conduit depend the hangers 3, to the lower ends of which are secured in any suitable manner the vertical members of apair of inverted- L.-shaped bars 4, on the horizontal members of which the brushes of the trolley ride. Held between the vertical members of these L-shaped bars 4 are the upper ends of a continuous iiexible tube 5, on the interior of the bottom of which is arranged the conductor G, the same being oval in cross-section. Between the upper ends of this tube 5 are the contact-shoes 7, the same being in the form of plates with flat top surfaces, which surfaces occupy the same plane as do the top sides of the horizontal portions of the L-shaped bars 4, and integral with the lower ends ofthe shoes 7 are the transversely-arranged webs 8, the under sides of which are concave. Between the meeting ends of the shoes 7 are arranged blocks 9 of insulating material, the same being held in place by bolts 10, which pass through the vertical members of the L-shaped bars 4t and also through the upper ends of the tube 5.

Depending from the car-body and arranged for vertical movement relative thereto is a trolley-pole 11, the lower end of which carries a rectangular casing 12, in which is rotatably arranged a pair of trolley-wheels, the same riding directly upon the top surfaces of the shoes 7 and said trolley-wheels are suitably arranged in insulated bearings in the casing 12, and from the axles of said trolleywheels suitable electric conductors are led to the motors carried by the ear. An arm 13 extends from the trolley-arm 1l to a point slightly below the plane occupied by the ilexible tube 5, and a roller 13b, having a concave face, is rotatably arranged ou the lower end of said arm 13a, which roller normally engages against the under side of said flexible tube.

Arranged at the sidesand at the ends of the' casing 12 are the casings 14, the same being joined to one another in any suitable manner and provided with a sleeve 15,which passes around the part of the trolley-pole 11 adjacent to the housing 12. Secured to this sleeve 15 is the lower end of an arm 16, which eX- tends upwardly into the car and by means of which the casings 14 are elevated when desired. Formed in the side walls of the casings 14 are the oppositely-arranged longitudinally-extending grooves 17, in which grooves are seated the ends of the bars which carry the members forming the brushes of the trolley. These members (illustrated in Figs. IV and V) are alternately arranged in casings 14, and said members comprise rectangular bars 1S of insulating material, and from one set of said members depends a pair of metallic plates 19, and from the opposite set of said members depend single plates 20 of suitable insulating IOO material. These individual members are alternately arranged in casin gs 14, with the ends of the bars 18 in the grooves 17, and when in position the lower ends of the plates l9, and 2O occupy the same horizontal plane and are intended to ride directly on top of the horizontal portions of the bars 4 and also on top of the surfaces of the shoes 7.

The operation is as follows The motorman or person in charge of the car by the use of the proper levers elevates the arm 13, carrying the grooved roller 13b, and in so doing brings the conductor 0 into electrical contact with the concave under sides of the shoes 7, the positions of said conductor and fleXibletube at the time of the contact being shown by dotted lines in Figs. II and III, and as soon as this contact is made the current of electricity will pass from the conductor 6 upwardly through the shoe or shoes with which it is in contact to the trolley-wheel 13 and thence through the proper conductors to the motors. As the car advances the conductor is successively brought into contact with the shoes 7, and at no time is said conductor in con tact with more than two of said shoes. Therefore the loss or waste of the current of electricity will be reduced to a minimum. As the car moves forward the metallic plates 19 and plates 20, of insulating material, will ride upon the top surfaces of the horizontal members of the bars 4 and also upon the contact-surfaces of the shoes 7 and all dust, water, and other foreign matter will be thoroughly and efficiently removed from these surfaces.

`The motorman can at any time desired elevate the casings 14 to the position shown by dotted lines, Fig. III, by merely raising the arm 16.

By forming the conductor 6 oval in crosssection it is rendered Very iieXible in its vertical'movement when being brought into contact with the shoes, and at the same time it is stiifened against lateral movement or play within the iiexible tube 5.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an underground electric railway conduit, a track therein, contact-shoes arranged in said track, which shoes are insulated from said track and from each other, a conductor suspended beneath the shoes, means carried by the car-body for bringing the conductor into contact with the shoes, a trolley carried by the car and riding upon the track and brushes surrounding the contact portion of the trolley substantially as specified.

2. In an underground electric railway a conduit, a track therein, contact-shoes arranged in said track, which shoes are insulated from said track and from each other, a conductor suspended beneath the shoes, means carried by the car-body for bringing the conductor into contact with the shoes, a trolley carried by the car and riding upon the track, brushes surrounding the contact portion,` of the trolley, and means whereby said brushes are elevated independent of the trolley, substantially as specified.

3. In an underground electric railwaya conduit, a track therein, contact-shoes arranged in said track, a conductor suspended beneath the shoes, means carried by the car-body for bringing the conductor into contact with the shoes, a trolley carried by the car and riding upon the track, a plurality of casings surrounding said trolley and alternately-arranged metallic and insulating plates, the same forming brushes, and which are carried in the casings substantially as specified.

4. In an underground electric railway the combination with a trolley of a plurality of brushes surrounding said trolley, substantially as specified.

5. In an underground electric railway the combination with a trolley of a plurality of brushes surrounding said trolley, which brushes comprise alternately-arranged metallic and insulating plates, substantially as specified.

6. In an underground electric railway the combination with a trolley of a plurality of brushes surrounding said trolley, and means whereby said brushes are elevated independent of the trolley, substantially as specified.

7. In an underground electric railway the combination with a trolley of a plurality of casings surrounding the trolley, which casings are united, a plurality of alternately-arranged metallic and insulating plates positioned in said casings, and means whereby the casings areelevated independent of the trolley, substantially as specified.

8. In an underground electric railway, the com bination with a plurality of contact-shoes, the under sides of which are concaved, of a longitudinally-extending feed-wire oval in cross-section and horizontally arranged immediately beneath said contact-shoes, and

means for bringing said ,feed-wire and contact-shoes into contact; substantially as specified.

9. In an underground electric railway, the combination with a continuous flexible hanger of a plurality of contact-shoes arranged in the upper portion of said hanger, the under sides of which shoes are concaved, a feedwire oval in cross -section and .horizontally arranged and held by the hanger immediately beneath said contact-shoes, and means whereby said feed-Wire is brought into contact with the concaved under sides of the contact-shoes; substantially as specified.

/ G. IV. SMITH.

In presence of JNo. W. DIXON, S. B. I-IANWAY. 

